Persian Diaspora Partners: A 2024 Recap Update
2024 witnessed three visits to our partners in the Persian Diaspora, and a Spring visit from Dariush Golbaghi, founder of Safehouse, to several congregations in the United States. In August we met with the men of Radmard in Türkiye. The visit allowed for a small group of men to engage with Muslim Background Believers for Bible study, coaching, and mutual sharing of testimonies. In September we conducted a visioning visit to a Persian congregation in Brussels. The year concluded in Türkiye where people from six congregations throughout the US facilitated a leadership conference for Gates of Heaven, hearing stories from PARS students, meeting other ministry leaders in the Persian diaspora, and visiting the ancient sites of the “7 churches.”
The Persian Diaspora: An Overview
In 2022 The Outreach Foundation formally launched a new set of partnerships in the Persian-speaking diaspora. These are people from Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan living away from their homelands. Muslim Background Believers are reaching their people with the gospel in Europe and Türkiye, and they, in turn, witness to their families and friends back home through social media and other means. As a result, the fastest-growing church in the world is in Iran.
This update focuses on the ministries we engaged in 2024. For more stories and information about our partners please read them as part of our Persian-diaspora ministry page.
Persian-speaking Congregations in Belgium and Germany
Since 2022 we have seen the effectiveness of Pastor Sargez Benjamin, who has built in Germany a stability ministry anchored within his congregation of Muslim Background Believers. The church conducts retreats, outreach, prayer, training, and legal advocacy and serves as a hub for many house churches. Our engagement fuels emerging leaders with resources and has led to the formation of sister-church partnerships in the US. For 2025, we look to bring more US congregations into our recent partnership with a church-planting network of Persian congregations in Brussels. The work in Brussels is a terrific example of the church meeting both spiritual and physical needs in the city among Muslim refugees.
Radmard: a safe place for men
Through Radmard (Persian for “man of purity”), we are energized to bring men’s ministries in the US into relationship with Muslim background-believing men who still live in their home countries. Why men? In an honor/shame context, focusing only on women and children inevitably damages delicate relationships in the home, causing more harm. The men must be healed, and for that to happen they need specific attention. Radmard’s founder, Reza Forutan, fills this gap with a one-of-a-kind ministry. We are bringing Christian men alongside men who face abuse and addictions and are seeking to grow as Jesus’s followers.
Gates of Heaven: God’s calling to women
The Spirit is raising up women to lead house groups in their homelands. These women were once prostitutes, addicts, abused, and even trafficked. We listen to them, worship, study, dialogue, and pray with them, offering leadership and discipleship training for these first-generation believers. The ministry’s leader, Forouzan, has drawn many women and several men, whose ministry is extended through house groups ministering to child laborers, trafficked individuals, and addicts. Many find physical freedom and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Opportunity
The Outreach Foundation is planning visits to Türkiye, Germany, and Belgium in 2025. We are seeking congregations for sister-church partnerships, house church support, and people interested in sharing their experience as Christian leaders with these first-generation believers. The Outreach Foundation seeks gifts to continue building our growing work among our Persian Diaspora Partners throughout the Middle East and across Europe. All gifts of any size are welcome. You may make a gift by mailing a check to our office or by giving online via the button below.
